Quick-action triple valve



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

W. HIRST;

QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE.

Patented July 14 To AUXIUARY 2 RESERVOIR.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. HIRST.

QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE. No. 564,073. Patented July 14, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HIRST, OF TREN'TON, NEW JERSEY.

QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,073, dated July 14,1896.

Application filed July 18, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM HIRST, of Trenton, in the county of Mercerand State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Quick-Action Triple Valves, of which the following is afull,'clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to fluid pressure brakes, and more particularly toquick-action triple valves, such as shown and described in LettersPatent of the United States No. 545,289, granted to me on August 27,1895.

The object of the present invention is to provide certain new and usefulimprovements in quick-action valves, whereby the triple valve isautomatically moved into a released position for recharging theauxiliary reservoir without releasing the brakes and whereby thepressure in the brake-cylinder. is always maintained.

The invention consists of a retaining-valve of an especial construction,as is hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details andcombinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of the improvement on the line 11 of Fig. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan View of the same on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a like View of the same with the parts in a differentposition, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section of a modified form ofthe retaina ing-valve.

The car equipment of a quick-action fluidpressure brake of the ordinaryWestinghouse system comprises a train-pipe, triple valve, auxiliaryreservoir, brake-cylinder, and a retaining-valve which is attached tothe exhaust of the triple Valve and is opened and closed by the trainmenin the present systems.

In a train of cars the train-pipe is made continuous by connecting eachcar with its neighbor by couplings for that purpose. The rear end of thetrain-pipe is closed by a cock, and each car is provided with two forthat purpose, one at each end. The first end of Serial No. 556,424. (Nomodel.)

the train-pipe is connected with the engine,

and the admission and exhaust of pressure to and from the train-pipe isunder the con-.

trol of the engineer.

The triple valve is set between thetrainpipe and the auxiliary reservoirand between the auxiliary reservoir and the brake-cylinder, the pressurepassing from the train-pipe to the triple valve causing a forwardmovement in the triple valve, which opens passages to the auxiliaryreservoir, which becomes charged with train-pipe pressuregvhich isusually seventy pounds per square inch.v

What is known as a service application of the brakes is made by areduction of trainpipe pressure of not more than ten pounds,

the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir thenexceeding that in thetrain-pipe, causing a backward movement of the triple valve and closingthe passage from the auxiliary reservoir to the train-pipe and opening apassage from the auxiliary reservoir to the brake-cylinder. When thepressure in the auxiliary reservoir has become lowered by expansion inthe brake-cylinder below that in the trainpipe, then by its peculiarconstruction the triple valve moves sufficiently forward to close allintercomm unication until a further reduction or increase in thetrain-pipe pressure is made. If the latter, the triple valve movesforward its full stroke and pressure passes into the auxiliary reservoiras before, and that in the brake-cylinder is allowed to pass out intothe atmosphere.v

The ratio of volume between the auxiliary reservoir and brake cylinderis such that if low fiftypounds will not interfere with ordinary workingof the brakes.

Now in unusually long applications of the brakes of the ordinaryWestinghouse system,

as, for instance, in descending long grades, the pressure leaks out ofthe brake-cylinder and auxiliary reservoir before it is desired torelease the brakes, and to prevent this premature release bybein gcompelled to recharge the auxiliary reservoir, the trainmen close thepressure-retaining valve before mentioned, which by a pipe leading fromthe exhaust-ports of the triple valve is placed in a convenient positionfor that purpose. This valve when closed will retain in thebrakecylinder a pressure of about fifteen pounds, thus permitting thetriple valve to be moved into what is called the release positionthatis, the position when the auxiliary reservoir is being reehargedfwithoutreleasing the brakes until the pressure-retaining valve is reopened bythe trainmen.

The object of the invention, presently to be described in detail, is toperform this function automatically, and at the same time to providemeans to keep up the pressure in the brake-cylinder.

The triple-valve casing A is provided with the usual chamber B,connected with the anxiliary reservoir and containing a slide-valveC,operating over the ports a,b, and c, of which the port a leads to thechamber containing the emergency-valve piston D, the port Z) leads tothe passage connected with the brake-cylinder, and the port 0 is theexhaust-port and leads to the casing F of the retaining-valve F, thesaid casing forming an integral part of the triple-valve casing A, aswill be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2.

The retaining-valve F is provided with a piston-valve having the valveG, the piston G, and the stem G for connecting the valve G with thepiston G, and on the upper end of the said valve Gis secured a doublevalve G adapted to be seated at its top on the valve-seat I-I, formed011 a cap screwed or otherwise secured in the top of the casing F. Theunder side of the double valve G is adapted to be seated on a valve-seatI, forming part of the bushing I, in which operate the piston G and thestem G*.

In the cap H is arranged a coil-spring J, pressing on the top of anextension G, secured on the top of the double valve G and havingvertically-disposed grooves G to permit of forming a connection betweenthe exhaust-port c, the interior of the casing F, the said grooves G andthe interior of the cap H, as will be readily understood by reference toFig. 3.

The lower end of the casing F and the bushing I are connected by a portf with a passage g, leading from the train-pipe chamber K to thecylinderL containing the piston N, connected with the main valve 0 inthe usual manner. The valve-seat I of the bushing I is adapted toconnect the annular chamber cl in the casin g F with ports 1*, openinginto an outlet 6, leading to the atmosphere, the said outlet beingcurved downward in the form of an elbow secured to the casing F. Now itwill be seen that the train-pipe pressure can pass through the port f,to act on the piston G, to force the latter into an uppermost normalposition, as shown in Fig. 4, to hold the double valve G off the seat I,and against the seat H of the cap II. In doing so the exhaust-port c isconnected by the chamber cl, the valve-seat I, and the port I with theatmosphere, by means of the outlet 0, and the spring J is compressed bythe extension G" within the cap 11, and as soon as a sufiicientreduction of pressure in the trainpipe takes place, the spring J forcesthe retainin g piston-valve G upon the seat I; that is, into theposition shown in Fig. 3. In doing so the valve G moves off the seat IIto connect the exhaust-port c and annular chamber (Z, by the grooves G,with the interior of the cap II. The latter is provided with ports 11*,leading to an annular chamber H connecting by a port h with the cylinderL between the main valve G and the piston N, as shown in Fig. 2. Thisconnection between the exhaust-port c and the port h is broken at thetime the piston-valve moves into an uppermost position; that is, whenthe double valve G is seated on the valve-seat II, and consequentlycommunication between the ports 0 and h is cut off; but when a reductionof pressure takes place in the train-pipe and the main valve is movedinto release position, and the port 0 is cut off from the outlet s, thenthe said exhaust-port c is in communication with the port 71.

The piston G and the extension'piston G" serve to cut offintercommunieation, while the retaining-valve is in mid-travel. The areaof the piston G is somewhat less than that of the piston G, theproportion being about two to three, and the extension-piston G isexposed to the auxiliary-reservoir pressure by way of the cylinder L,port 71., annular chamber 11', ports I1 and the interior of the cap II.By this arrangement the retaining-valve will work with a light springand has less resistance when the auxiliary reservoir is empty, so thatthe raising of the valve G is accomplished with much less pressure whenthe train is first being charged and the auxiliary reservoirs are emptythan if the resistance to the valve was altogether in the spring J.

It is intended that the valve should begin to close at fifty poundstrain-pipe pressure, but no pressure can be admitted into thebrake-cylinder through the retaining-valve until the triple valve is inthe release position. Thus, while the retaining-valve closes at fiftypounds, no pressure need be admitted to the brake-cylinder through theretaining valve until the auxiliary reservoir fails, and then theadmission of, say, five pounds extra pressure to the train-pipe willmove the piston N and main valve 0 into the release position and allowthe pressure to pass into the auxiliary reservoir, and at the same timethrough the port h to the interior of the cap H, into the exhaust c ofthe triple valve, and thence into the brake-cylinder.

It is not necessary under ordinary conditions, in running grades, thatthe pressure in the brake-cylinder should exceed twenty-five pounds, sothat, while the retaining-valve closes at fifty pounds, it is notnecessary to move the main valve 0 into the release position until theauxiliary-reservoir pressure falls to that in the brake-cylinder, which,under these circumstances, would be about from ten to twenty pounds.

As the pressure becomes reduced,from leakage or other causes, below thatrequired to work the brakes and apply them with sufficient force, it isnecessary to move the triple valve into the position to recharge theauxiliary reservoir; but the auxilary reservoir in the ordinary brakesystem cannot be recharged automatically without the release of thebrakes. N ow, when the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir andtrain-pipe has been reduced below that required to apply the brakes withsufficient force, then the spring J having forced the piston-valve Ginto a closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the exhaust e isclosed to the atmosphere, air is admitted from the auxiliary reservoirby the main valve 0, port h, cap I-l, casing F, and exhaust-port a,under side of the main valve 0, and port I) to the chamber E andbrakecylinder. Thus the triple valve becomes a passage for the air orfiuid pressure from the auxiliary reservoir through the mainvalvechamber and the other ports described to maintain a workingpressure in the brakecylinder. It is understood that the main valve C isin the release position when this takes place by the pressure passinginto the auxiliary reservoir from the train-pipe. Now on a reduction ofpressure, say to fifty pounds, in the train-pipe, then theretaining-valve closes, as previously explained, and when the engineerapplies pressure from the main reservoir to the train-pipe when theauxiliary reservoir fails the triple valve is moved into the releaseposition to recharge the auxiliary reservoir with just enough pressureto apply the brakes with sufficient force to keep the speed of the trainunder control.

l/Vhen itis desired to release the brakes, the full working pressure isadmitted to the train-pipe, and as this pressure also-extends into thepassage f, and is exerted against the piston G, the latter is forcedupward into the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the double valve G isseated on the seat 11, and communication is established between the ex--haust-port c and the atmosphere by way of the outlet e. The double valveG is firmly seated on the seat H, and any possible leakage from theauxiliary reservoir to the at mosphere through the describedexhaust-passages is completely prevented.

In Fig. 5 is shown a retaining-valve whose function is simply toautomatically close the exhaust-port of the triple valve, and thisretaining-valve has its exhaust-port 0 opening into a bushing I, whilethe outlet eleads from the interior of the casing F; but otherwise theoperation is exactly the same as the one described in reference to theother figures.

It is understood that in both forms shown in the drawings thepiston-valve is actuated on a reduction of pressure in the train-pipe,and serves to retain the pressure in the brakecylinder.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 to at a passage is opened between theauxiliary reservoir and the brake-cylinder, and the train-pipe pressurein this case is not raised above'the amount required to apply the brake,while in the device shown in Fig. 5 the pressure is retained within thebrake-cylinder during the recharging of the auxiliary reservoir, andwhen this is done pressure is admitted from the auxiliary reservoir tothe brake-cylinder by the triple valve in the usual manner.

Havingthus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent-- 1. A quick-actiontriple valve, provided with a retaining-valve comprising a casing intowhich opens the exhaust-port of the triple valve, a cap held on the saidcasing and in communication with the main slidevalve chamber, and aspring-pressed pistonvalve having seat-faces, one of which is adapted tobe seated on the said cap, to close the connection between thetriple-valve exhaust-port and the main slide-valve chamber,substantially as shown and described 2. A quick-action triple valve,provided with a retaining-valve comprising a easing into which opens theexhaust-port of the triple valve, a cap held on the said casing and incommunication with the main slidevalve chamber, and a spring-pressedpistonvalve having seat-faces, one of which is adapted to be seated onthe said cap, to close the connection between the triple-valveexhaust-port and the main slide-valve chamber, and the other face isadapted to be seated on a bushing, to disconnect the triple-valveexhaust-port and the air-outlets leading from the said casing to theatmosphere, substantially as shown and described.

3. A quick-action triple valve provided with a retaining-valvecomprising a casing integral with the triple-valve casing and hav ingconnection with the outer air; the exhaust-port of the triple valve anda passage leading to the train-pipe chamber, a bushing held on the saidretaining-valve casing and provided with a valve-seat for connecting ordisconnecting the triple-valve exhaust-port with the outer air and apiston-valve of which the piston is fitted to slide in the said bushingand the valve is adapted to be seated on the said bushing valve-seat todisconnect the said triple-valve exhaust-port and the outlet to theatmosphere substantially as described.

WILLIAM HIRST. Witnesses:

EAGLETON HANSON, WILLIAM B. OSMOND.

